Rugby League World Cup 2022: When do Scotland play, how to watch, when does it start and finish, latest odds and full fixture list?

The tournament was meant to have been played last year but was postponed due to the pandemic.

Now, almost a year to the day since it was originally meant to kick-off, the Rugby League World Cup will get underway in England this weekend.

First held in France in 1954 (predating the Rugby Union World Cup) the last tournament in 2017 saw Australia raise the cup as home winners after beating the English in Brisbane.

They’ll be hoping to defend their title, but England will be out for revenge now they have that home advantage.

Here’s everything you need to know about the competition – and Scotland’s involvement.

When does the tournament kick off and when’s the final?

This year's Rugby League World Cup will get underway on Saturday, October 15, with the opening game of the tournament between England and Samoa kicking off at 2.30pm at St James' Park in Newcastle.

The final will take place on November 19 at Old Trafford, in Manchester.

The Australian Kangaroos celebrate victory as captain Cameron Smith holds up the world cup trophy after the 2017 Rugby League World Cup Final between the Australian Kangaroos and England at Suncorp Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

What are the groups and how do teams progress?

The 16 teams will play in four groups, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the quarter-finals and automatically qualify for the next tournament in 2025.

The groups are as follows:

Group A: England, Samoa, France, GreeceGroup B: Australia, Fiji, Scotland, ItalyGroup C: New Zealand, Lebanon, Jamaica, IrelandGroup D: Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Wales, Cook Islands

When will Scotland play?

Scotland’s group fixtures are as follows:

October 16 at 2.30pm: Scotland v Italy

October 21 at 7.30pm: Australia v Scotland

October 29 at 5pm: Fiji v Scotland

Who are the favourites to win?

Defending champions Australia are hot favourites to win with odds of 8/15, followed by New Zealand (3/1), Samoa (17/2), England (13/1) and Tonga (14/1).

A Scottish victory seems fairly unlikely (to say the least), with the bookies typically offering huge odd of 500/1 on them lifting the cup.

Who has previously won the tournament?

Only three teams have won the Rugby League World Cup in its history – Australia (11 times), Great Britain (3 times before the home nations entered their own teams) and New Zealand (Once in 2008).

How can I watch the Rugby League World Cup on television?

Every single game at the Rugby League World Cup will be shown for free live on the BBC – on either BBC One, BBC Two or BBC Three.

You can also live stream the action – or catch up on all the action – on the BBC iPlayer.

What is the full fixture list?

Here’s how the Rugby League World Cup will play out:

First round of games

October 15: England v Samoa (14:30)October 15: Australia v Fiji (19:30)October 16: Scotland v Italy (14:30)October 16: Jamaica v Ireland (17:00)October 16: New Zealand v Lebanon (19:30)October 17: France v Greece (19:30)October 18: Tonga v Papua New Guinea (19:30)October 19: Wales v Cook Islands (19:30)

Second round of games

October 21: Australia v Scotland (19:30)October 22: Fiji v Italy (14:30)October 22: England v France (17:00)October 22: New Zealand v Jamaica (19:30)October 23: Lebanon v Ireland (14:30)October 23: Samoa v Greece (17:00)October 24: Tonga v Wales (19:30)October 25: Papua New Guinea v Cook Islands (19:30)

Third round of games

October 28: New Zealand v Ireland (19:30)October 29: England v Greece (14:30)October 29: Fiji v Scotland (17:00)October 29: Australia v Italy (19:30)October 30: Lebanon v Jamaica (12:00)October 30: Tonga v Cook Islands (14:30)October 30: Samoa v France (17:00)October 31: Papua New Guinea v Wales (19:30)

Knock-out games

November 4: Quarter-Final 1 – Group B Winner v Group C Second (19:30)November 5: Quarter-Final 2 – Group A Winner v Group D Second (14:30)November 5: Quarter-Final 3 – Group C Winner v Group B Second (19:30)November 6: Quarter-Final 4 – Group D Winner v Group A Second (14:30)

November 11: Semi-Final 1 – QF1 Winner v QF3 Winner (19:45)November 12: Semi-Final 2 – QF2 Winner v QF4 Winner (14:30)

November 19: SF1 Winner v SF2 Winner (16:00)

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